


Yes, I'm A Were

by hanktalkin



Category: Team Fortress 2
Genre: Angst, Camping, Canon-Typical Violence, Crossfaction, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pre WAR!, Self-Esteem Issues, Werewolf Demoman
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-09
Updated: 2016-05-14
Packaged: 2018-06-07 07:20:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6793042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hanktalkin/pseuds/hanktalkin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>tfw you go camping with your werewolf bf and he runs off into the forst for no fucking reason but you don't know he's a werewolf so you're just like ???</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The prologue and the epilogue are kinda short but do not be fooled by the juvenile fic summary! This is a sad fanfiction!
> 
> Also this is the first fanfic I've written in a long time so feeback is welcome!

“What do you think we should do now?”

The Demoman didn’t move, his chin resting on folded arms and upper half lying on Soldier’s chest.

Soldier moved his gaze from the clouds he had been watching to the man lying on top of him, pretending to consider the question carefully.

“I have a good idea of what we can do,” he replied, letting his mouth turn into a slight grin.

Demo burst into a raucous laugh, putting his hand to his face. “It’s six o’ clock man! Don’t you think it’s a little early tae be puttin’ your ankles above your head?”

“Negatory! It is never to early to enjoy sexual intercourse.” Despite attempting to appear genuine, Soldier couldn’t help but let his grin widen, always glad to make Demo laugh. Usually it wasn’t on purpose, but it made him feel satisfied all the same.

Demo rolled off Soldier onto the grass still laughing. He pressed himself into Soldier’s side, enjoying the warm sunlight and the peace this weekend had brought them. It wasn’t often RED and BLU gave extended furloughs, but when they did the two enemies-by-daylight always managed to sneak off together. The camping trip had been Demo’s idea, saying he wanted to get away from Viaduct and get out to some proper trees and hills. Of course the fact that they were away from prying eyes and risk of discovery by either of their employers was also a consideration.

“We should take a walk,” Demo said after his laughter had died and he had returned to considering their evening plans.

“A walk?”

“Aye, a hike around the lake. Stretch our legs. Try to enjoy a bit o’ nature while we still have daylight.”

Soldier snorted. “Nature? Man does not need nature to feel whole and true! Two hundred years ago man _feared_ nature! And without Paul Revere to invent the six-story building, we would still need to fear it! Pray to God that we have bullets, fire, and entrenching tools so that true Americans are able to fend off the unseelie hoards of the wilderness. You should think about _that_ before you go prancing off into the unknow.” He tried to keep his expression serious throughout the duration of his rant.

Demo got to his feet, laughing again. “Is that so? When then I suppose I’ll take that hike by meself. Though,” he added pointedly “If you _do_ want a bit ‘o company later I might be a bit more inclined t’wards people who bother tae spend some quality time with me.”

Soldier paused, pretending to consider carefully again. “Well…if you do intend to venture out on this foolhardy mission, I believe there is nothing I can do to stop you. And because you are not American I suppose you _do_ have to fear nature.” He got to his feet smiling at Demo. “And since _you_ need to fear nature it is _my_ duty as a true American to protect you from the jaws of the forest and its vicious fauna. Go on! I will take the rear guard as we make our around this reservoir of Mother Nature’s deadly power.”

“Aye?” Demo chuckled. “Well then I’m glad I have you here tae protect me.” They walked away from the lake, bare feet padding on the grass that eventually turned into the hard dirt of the campsite.

It was a sparse site; it held only a cook fire and a tent they had pitched last night before becoming to tired to do anything else. After breakfast the next morning they had spent the whole day fishing, at least until they had run out of grenades. After that they tried using shotgun shells, but it just wasn’t the same. That had turned into an argument about whether a shotgun or a sticky launcher was a better secondary weapon, which had turned into a round of fisticuffs, which had turned into them rolling around trying to beat the crap out of each other, which eventually led to them just lying in the grass with Demo breathing heavy and Soldier watching the clouds.

Seemingly fine at being roped into a hike, Soldier watched Demo put his boots back on. The trees and hills may have reminded Demo of home, but they didn’t do anything for the Soldier. What really made this trip special wasn’t the great outdoors: it was the company. Sure the he wore a red shirt instead of a blue, and sure he was Scottish, and sure he didn’t understand a shotgun could kick the crap out of any weapon that required hiding behind corners like a chicken liver…but he was so extraordinary in every other way. He had a laugh that could make anyone smile. He never talked down to Soldier, or told him he was crazy. In fact, most of the time when Soldier had an idea, he not only went along with it but he would find some way to make it _better_. He never complained about the raccoons or the severed heads, and he always had a compliment for anyone who didn’t think they were worth something.

“So, you coming ‘rear guard’?” Demo interjected. “Or just you just going tae stare at me until that helmet falls o’er your eyes?’

Soldier hadn’t realized he’d been staring. He turned away and muttered a hurried “coming,” before lacing up his own boots. He slung his shotgun over his shoulder and crammed a handful of shells into his ammo pouch. He also remembered to douse the fire and grab a couple of water bottles for the hike.

By the time he was ready Demo was already at the foot of the trail, telling him “’Mother Nature’s deadly power’ is goin’ tae freeze me toes off before you ever get o’er here.”

“We should be going counter-clockwise around the lake,” Soldier responded.

“And why would we do that?”

“It is natural for humans to walk counter-clockwise. I read that in a book!”

Demo scoffed. “And you believe that?”

“Affirmative!” Soldier didn’t really care which way they went, and he doubted Demo did either. It was just a simple sort of argument that let them fall into their comfortable bickering. “ _In fact,_ you are denying your humanity by leading us around this lake the wrong way.”

Demo shook his head and carried on down the trail. Soldier followed him, but only because if he went the other way he wouldn’t get to be the rear guard anymore.


	2. I'll Give Him 11 Minutes

It was nice to be away from all the snow. Granted, whenever he got to Viaduct or Coldfront or any of the other northern bases, Soldier told himself it was nice to be away from endless desert. If he was being honest, he just liked to change scenery. He stared at the clouds again, this time through the orange and red of the trees.

Demo was telling about the third time he tried to kill The Loch Ness Monster, the lake seeming to have awakened some old memories. Soldier had heard this story before but he didn’t mind. It was nice enough just listening to the Demoman talk.

“So the man I hired says that he dunnae want explosives on the boat. Can you believe that? I tell him ‘how the bloody hell did you think I was goin’ tae kill her if nae with fourteen pounds of Semtex?’ And you ken what he says tae me? He says-” Demo stopped mid sentence. “Jane? Did you hear that?”

“Why would he be calling you Jane?”

“No no, I’m talkin’ tae you,” Demo muttered. “Did you just hear somethin’?

The Soldier looked around the trail, trying to see whatever was supposedly making the noise.

“I only heard you and your attempts at hosticide.”

“Ah. Well. Must be me imagination, then.” He started walking again, but the casual ease that had been between them before had evaporated. “So. Where was I?”

“The boatman called you Jane and would not let you take plastic explosives onto his water vehicle.”

The Demoman launched back into his story, but Soldier could see a line of sweat forming along the side of his face.

_Strange. He must be getting out of shape._

* * *

 

It came again twenty minutes later. This time, Solider heard it to.

“Wolves,” he muttered thoughtfully. “One of the most dangerous of all man’s foes. Besides bears. And hippopotamus. And yetis.”

“Wolf,” Demo said simply, his gaze turned toward the direction of the howling, eye slightly glazed.

“Hm?”

“Wolf. As in only one.”

“I see! A noble loner, apart from his pack, destined to roam the hills unaccompanied seeking his fortune.” Soldier turned to face the same way. “We salute you, honorable denizen of the forest!”

“Jane,” Demo said sharply. “I need you tae go back tae camp.”

“What?”

“Go back tae camp now. There’s somethin’ I need to do.” His voice had become higher, and there was something to it now. Something almost like…fear.

“If you need to take a leak it’s alright. I can wait.”

“No. I-” He grabbed Soldier abruptly, holding by the shoulders so they were facing each other. “I need tae do something _important_. Please just…just go back tae camp and wait. I’ll be back. I promise.”

A change had come over his face. His pupil was dilated and he had set his mouth in a way that almost looked painful.

“Tavish?” Soldier couldn’t help but let the worry seep into his voice. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothin’. Nothin’ that I can’t take care of. I’ll..” Demo hesitated. “I’ll tell you about it later, alright? Right now I just need you tae trust me.”

Soldier hated being left out, especially when there might be a fight involved. But as much as he wanted to make sure Demo was okay, he did trust him.

“Alright,” Soldier sighed. “I will go back.”

“Thank you,” Demo said, and gave him a peck on the cheek. By the time Soldier thought to ask him when he would be back, he was already gone.

* * *

 Soldier put another log into fire, wishing to Ulysses S Grant that there were something more interesting to do. Demoman had brought a couple of books, but they were all either nonfiction, in brail, or both. Soldier wasn’t that strong of a reader anyways, unless it was something in the newspaper or the back of a soup tin. He idly poked the fire with a stick.

_How does Pyro get off on this shit?_

He threw the stick in and went back to cleaning his shotgun for the seventh time in the past hour. Honestly, the boredom wasn’t so bad. He could take boredom compared the terrible guilt that was dogging his every thought.

Demo was unarmed. He didn’t have either of his weapons, good eyesight, or a flashlight. He didn’t even have his bottle of Scrumpy, which lay unopened with the others next to the tent. Soldier considered having one, perhaps to take the edge of the anxiety building inside of him, but he wanted to be alert in case of…

_In case of what? He’s fine. He’s a highly trained mercenary even without his weapons._

But he had been gone for so long that it was hard not to have doubts. Doubts, and maybe a bit of spite at Demo for sending him away.

The howling had stopped long ago. For a time, Soldier was sure that it had gotten louder, as though being joined by more wolves, but it had petered out until the forest was left with silence. The sun had set only a few minutes later, leaving the reawakened fire as the only source of light.

He finished cleaning his shotgun and ran his fingers over it for comfort. He did the same for his shovel, which was stuck in the ground next to the fire. And he was just considering opening one of those bottles of Scrumpy when he felt it. The certainty that he wasn’t alone.

Soldier rose slowly to his feet, pulling the safety off his gun.

“Tavish?” He called.

There was movement on the very edges of the firelight. Someone getting closer.

“Tav?” The question hadn’t even left his lips when he knew that whatever was approaching wasn’t a some _one_.

The wolf was huge. It could easily have been a bear sitting on top of a hippopotamus with plenty goats thrown in for good measure. Its legs were shaped awkwardly: when it walked it went on all fours, but when it stopped at the edges of the campsite it rested on only its back ones. Its eyes reflected the firelight, making them two white-green orbs hanging suspended in the dark shadow of the beast. He heard a noise come from the wolf, a deep catching sound that almost sounded like a laugh.

Soldier trailed it with his gun, trying to take in the monster all at once. He wasn’t afraid. Soldiers don’t feel fear. The only thing he felt was contemplation. As he sized up the creature he even hoped that it might come closer, if only he could see it better.

As if hearing his thoughts, the beast stepped just inside the pool of firelight. Now it was close enough that Soldier could see it giving him a big toothy grin. And its big toothy grin was coated in blood.

_Fresh blood. It’s still dripping. It killed something in this forest tonight it-_

All at once something far worse fear flooded every fiber of his being.

_Tavish._

BANG!

The wolf laughed again as the shot went wide. It began circling the fire, its white eyes fixed on the man in front of it.

BANG! BANG!

Two more shots that hit nothing. His gun was for close combat, its scatter large and its accuracy next to nothing at a distance. With a growl he stepped forward, trying to get his target within the gun’s limited range.

BANG!

Another miss. Every time Soldier got closer it merely bounded further away, its speed far superior to its human adversary.

“Get back here you yellow-bellied tail-wagger,” Soldier growled. He couldn’t think about it. He couldn’t think about the blood on the monster’s jaws or Demo or _God I left him alone why did I let him go alone_ or else he couldn’t fight like he was meant to fight. He could see his enemy and he could kill it if only he could get _close_ -

BANG!

It was laughing at him again. Horror and dread were compounding by the second but they were being overpowered by the rage that, save one, made Soldier a terror to every RED he had ever met.

BANG! This one tore bits of bark from a tree a few feet to the wolf’s left. There was a pause, a few moments of silence as the wolf looked at the shattered tree. That had been his sixth shot. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew he needed to reload. But the wolf had turned to face him. He was powerless now. And it _knew_. It smiled again, showing every one of its bloody teeth, and charged.

His mind seemed to run in slow motion. What stopped Mother Nature? Bullets, shovels…and…

Soldier turned and ran.

With one desperate jump, he crossed the campfire and landed in a ball on the other side. The wolf’s speed was incredible, but that meant its stopping power was next to nothing. Instead of trying to jump the fire as well, it tried to change trajectory, scrambling to the right and landing in a tangle of its own limbs

It bought Soldier the seconds he needed. He went for his ammo pouched, grabbed a handful of shells and reloaded just in time point his gun at-

Nothing.

The wolf had once again retreated out of the shotgun’s range, apparently deciding to cut its loses. Soldier stood, a feeling of hopelessness settling in as he realized he had to go through the entire dance again.

_That was a coincidence. It must be. It fell and decided to retreat before attacking again. Nothing to do with reloading._

But the wolf was circling again and as he aimed, he felt the doubt creep in the back of his mind.

BANG!

He couldn’t help remember how the wolf has pounced as soon as he was defenseless. Almost like…

Almost like it had been counting his shots.

The realization went through him like electricity: he had been fighting his enemy all-wrong. This wasn’t a savage beast, this thing was intelligent. Even as he realized this, he saw he was being drawn toward the lake, away from the fire. Well. If there was one thing Soldier had been fighting for the past two years of his life it was a smart enemy.

The two opponents circled closer and closer to the lake. Soldier raised his gun for another shot-

And it gave off a soft click.

The wolf gave one last yelp of triumph before charging at him full speed. There was no fire to stop it now, nothing to protect him from its final attack. It was so close now. So close he could see its pupils behind the white reflections. Drool leaked from its mouth to mix with the blood already there. It took its final leap toward him-

And Soldier flipped the safety back off.

If there was a moment of surprise or confusion to cross the beast’s face, Soldier didn’t see it. The face was soon gone anyway thanks a direct blast from Soldier’s shotgun. It came off in a shower of blood and gooey brain, staining the grass on the side of the lake.

The wolf was dead. Unfortunately for Soldier, that hadn’t really stopped it. Its huge body crashed into him, crushing him into the grass as twelve hundred pounds of muscle came to a slow stop. He let out a soft moan of pain, struggling to get out from underneath the creature. When he finally managed to roll out from under it, he unloaded his remaining rounds into the wolf’s body. To double check of course. Certainly not for any therapeutic reasons.

After that he stood, breathing heavily and trying to collect himself. He stared down at the wolf’s corpse and attempted to process what happened. After a few minutes, he reached the only conclusion he could.

Soldier spat, reloaded his shotgun, and begin walking in the direction the monster had come from.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I read a headcanon once that demo knows how to read brail b/c his parents were so certain that he was going to go blind that they just taught him as soon as they re-adopted him


	3. Oh My God You Ate The Princess

That afternoon seemed like centuries ago. Soldier remember how he had blustered, claiming he would protect Demo from anything the forest could throw at them.

_And then I left him. I left him to whatever the hell that thing was._

Now that the fight was over Soldier didn’t have anything to stop the thoughts from flooding his mind. How far they were from respawn. How much blood there was sprayed on the forest floor.

The trail was only getting more obvious. He wasn’t exactly Sniper, but it didn’t take a master tracker to follow the wolf’s footsteps. Every few yards there were a few drips of blood, sometimes entire splotches. He followed them around the lake, getting closer and closer to the place of the fight.

Or maybe not a fight. Maybe the wolf had killed some deer or elk or something and Demo was just lost finding his way back to camp. But then Soldier remembered the evil intelligence in those eyes and the way it had laughed at his fear. He tried not thinking again.

But they would always come around, back to the blood, back to the fear in Demo’s eye as he gripped Soldier by the shoulders. The fact that if he was gone then someone would have to tell his Mum, and then someone would have to tell RED. Soldier couldn’t be either of those someones. The mercenaries would shoot him as soon as look at him, and he could never face Mum again if he failed Demo tonight.

He was getting close. The bloodstains couldn’t get much larger than this.

As he approached the clearing that must have been the location of the struggle, he let out a silent prayer to both God and George Washington.

_Please don’t let it be him. Please just let it be some animal. If it’s him I can’t…just…please._

But when he stepped into the clearing, he found neither.

There were signs of a skirmish all around. Broken saplings, bits of bark, claw marks torn into the ground, and of course splashes of blood coating the whole scene. But what made the picture was the victim lying in the middle of it.

It was another wolf. It was smaller, and its fur was a darker gray than the other, but it was most certainly the same type of wolf as the first. The breathing was shallow, and most of the blood belonged to it, if the wounds along its side were anything to go by. It was lying facing away from Soldier, but its ears flicked at his approach. With a great effort, it turned its head to look at him.

Several things seemed to happen at once. In one instant, a brown eye widened in surprise as its gaze fell on Soldier. The next, it was moving toward him faster than any creature that baldy injured should have been able to manage. Just as quickly as it moved it fell again, landing in a heap with a pained whine.

Soldier raised his gun. “Not another step, Fido. I already killed one of you freaks tonight and I am not afraid to kill again.”

The wolf looked at him with something like longing. It stared at Soldier and made a couple motions of opening and closing its mouth before giving off a noise like a child in protest.

“Sorry,” Soldier replied. “I don’t speak ‘lick my own ass and roll in shit’.”

The wolf growled at that.

So this one was smart too.

Soldier considered for a moment. He didn’t like leaving it here, not when he still had to look for Demo. It would be better if he could get it back to camp, find some way of neutralizing it there.

“Alright Spot, from now on you are my prisoner. That means you are going to stay in my sights and if you even _try_ to eat me I am going to blow your slobbery head right off your body. Capiche?”

The wolf growled in defeat.

“Now!” Soldier started “We are going on a march back to camp _where you will stay_ until I say otherwise. Now move out! Believe it or not I have better things to do than baby-sit you.”

The wolf responded by shaking its head.

“Oh I’m sorry, Patches. Maybe I wasn’t clear enough. _You are going to do what I say_ or you will find _hell_ is a lot warmer than you expected.”

The wolf looked like it wanted to bite his head off, but instead just gave the Soldier an unpleasant look as it rose slowly. It leaned forward as if to take a tentative step, but once again crashed back onto itself. It was obvious that one of its hind legs was broken.

“Do not be a sissy!” Soldier shouted. “I walked across Poland with _two_ broken legs, _while_ under enemy fire. Your furry ass can handle a little walk in the woods.”

The wolf whimpered, and tried to stand for a third time, leading to the same result. Although the monster had four legs, the majority of its weight seemed to rest on its back two. This was getting them nowhere.

Soldier weighed his options. He could kill it, though at the rate it was loosing blood he probably wouldn’t have to. Or maybe he could just leave it. It didn’t seem to be much of a threat if it couldn’t go anywhere. Or maybe…

It had proven that it could answer questions. Maybe if he interrogated it he could find some idea about where the Demoman had gone.

“Alight Odie, change of plans,” Soldier ordered. “I am going to be asking some questions, and you are going to be giving me some answers. Understood?”

Its eye widened, and it nodded its head with rather unexpected enthusiasm.

He took a deep breath. “Alright. First question. I’m looking for my friend. Probably the only other human in this god forsaken forest. Have you seen him?”

The wolf nodded. It brought a paw up to its own missing eye, in an obvious imitation of Demo’s eyepatch.

Soldier’s heart lurched. “You did? Where? How long ago? Is he alright? If you hurt him I swear to god I’ll-“

He stopped when he saw the wolf was vigorously shaking its head and making noises of anguish.

Too many questions. Alright. One at a time.

“Did you hurt him?” Soldier asked.

It shook its head no.

“But is he alright?” Soldier asked, trying not to let his voice break on the last word.

That made the wolf hesitate. It looked at Soldier and then looked away.

“That’s a simple yes or no, Baxter. Is he alright or isn’t he?”

The wolf looked at him and nervously nodded its head.

“I don’t believe you,” Soldier said as he raised his gun again. “You better give me a straight answer this time or I might just violate some Geneva Conventions. Is. He. Alright?”

It nodded its head, more assured this time.

Soldier did a poor job of hiding his relief as he let his gun drop back to his side.

“Alright. One final question: where is he?”

One eye widened at him, and the wolf began to make more distressed sounds.

“I _know_ it’s not a yes or no question!” He retorted “But you got superior smell or hearing or some shit like that! Just…just _point_ or something!"

An internal struggle seemed to going on inside the wolf. Soldier wondered if it would even tell him the truth if it knew, or bothered to stop whimpering.

It took a deep breath, its entire broken body shaking with the effort. With deliberation, it raised its paw and placed it on its chest.

“You _ate_ him?!? Oh my god-” This was some little red riding hood level shit. He didn’t even have an axe. Did they have an axe at camp? He had his shovel there. Maybe if he ran there and back he could get Demo out fast enough-

The wolf smacked its paw against its face in a universal gesture of exasperation.

Soldier stopped his panicked thoughts when he saw the wolf shaking its head again.

“You did not eat him?” The wolf put his momentary dismay at ease with a shake of its head. “Oh. That’s good. But then were…?”

Again, the wolf brought its paw to the front of its chest.

Soldier stood dumfounded. He felt like he was supposed to be getting something important, like there was an itch at the back of his mind he just couldn’t place. Had he forgotten something? The creature was trying to tell him something he could feel it. But the only thing he could bring to mind was frustration.

“Well. This was pointless.” Soldier turned to go. “Have fun with all your bleeding out. I doubt you’ll last until morning.”

A look of desperation crossed the wolf’s face as Soldier turned his back. It barked at the departing man, who gave it one last look. The wolf hesitated, raised a paw, and pointed east.

He looked between the wolf and the direction for a few moments, wondering whether it was some sort of trick. It as it watched, Soldier finally moved to cross the clearing. He made his way deeper into the forest, his heart beating faster as he went. And, when he saw what was lying at his destination, it stood still. He rand the last few feet, his short sprint ending in a stumble as he fell to his knees.

A red plaid button-down was caught on the root of a tree, probably blown there in the autumn wind. It was the same one Demoman had been wearing that day. Soldier didn’t even realize he was crying until a pitiful sob escaped his throat.

His pants were here too. And his boots. Soldier clutched the shirt in his hands as tears leaked quietly from his eyes and onto the garment. Every awful thought, every worry he had suppressed since seeing the first wolf came out as he looked down the evidence littered in front of him. Another sob was building in his throat when he ran his hands over Demo’s shirt and felt…something.

He stared in silent confusion. There was something in the front pocket, something soft. He gingerly put two fingers into the pocket and drew out the Demoman’s eyepatch, strap and all. Soldier continued his confused stare. This was…wrong. Why would Demo put his eyepatch in his pocket if he were under attack? In fact, the whole scene was wrong. The clothes were slightly dirty, but not torn. And there was no sign of blood on anything. And the boots.

Soldier got to his feet and stumbled towards the boots. They were side-by-side as though they were sitting by the fireplace at home and not in the middle of the woods at midnight.

_He undid the laces._

Once again he found churning in the back of his mind. He looked at the eyepatch in his hand, trying to derive some sort of understanding. Soldier felt as though the pieces were fitting together, but he was just to far away to see the whole picture.

Seeing. That’s what he was missing.

He stumbled back into the clearing, the aches from his earlier fight suddenly hitting him full force. The wolf raised its head at his approach, concerned at his condition. Soldier staggered toward it, his gun forgotten, dropped somewhere near the pile of clothes and boots. As he approached, he released any doubts he had. Although it was injured, the wolf could still kill him in an instant. He needed to be sure.

It was a few inches from him now. He felt like crossing the clearing was taking eons, but suddenly he was right in front of it. He dropped to his knees, making himself level with the creature’s head. He was still clutching the eyepatch.

Soldier smoothed out the scrunched and sweaty patch and looked to the wolf, which was staring back at him with a face that, for once, was unreadable. With one shaking hand, he pressed the patch to the wolf’s missing eye.

How had he not recognized him before? The eye was different but the expression behind it was the same. Now it gazed into him and he could read every thought in Demoman’s head.

“Tavish.”

Soldier shouted a lot of things. Shouting things made people listen do you, even if they didn’t end up doing what you told them. But Soldier said Demoman’s name so quietly he wasn’t sure he said it aloud at all, and somehow it had more power and meaning than anything he had ever shouted in his life.

Demo didn’t say anything in either. He couldn’t, after all. But when he rested his head on Soldier’s shoulder and let the other man hold him like he was clinging for dear life, that was powerful too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this part of the story went a couple of different ways during planning but i think i was able to blend the happy and sad bits to a nice medium


	4. Epilogue

The drive back to Viaduct passed in almost total silence. Soldier drove Demo’s car while its owner stared blankly ahead in the passenger seat. The rest of the gear was crammed hastily in the back, the tent not even back in its bag.

They passed two hours like that, focusing on the road ahead of them, not speaking a word.

“I suppose you want tae ask me some questions.”

Almost.

That was one of the first things Demo had said in four hours. At dawn, he had started the very painful transition of shifting down to his normal form. As he did, the bandages Soldier had placed on his wolf body fell away and his wounds started bleeding again. As soon as the new ones were put on, Soldier bombarded him with questions, the most common being “What the _hell_ were you thinking?”

He had been brushed off with a pained “Not now Jane.” The misery in Demo’s voice had made him back off, but only just. Throughout the laborious three-legged walk back to camp, the packing up, and then the even more laborious walk to the car, Soldier hadn’t said a word. But now he was finally given the chance to get some answers.

“Yeah,” he replied. “I do.”

Demoman swallowed uncomfortably while he continued to stare ahead.

Soldier thought for a moment, considering which he wanted answered first.

“So,” he said. “You’re a werewolf?”

Demo nodded. “Aye. I am.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Demo stopped staring ahead and instead looked out the side view window. “I…I er…next question.”

Soldier whipped his head to look at his passenger. “You can not do that! That is cheating!”

“I’ll answer it!” Demo protested “Just… not now. Can you…can you come back it?”

The driver turned his attention back to the road, his expression sour. In a few seconds he started with another one.

“Why did the other werewolf attack you?”

Demo hesitated again, but answered the question. “That one I’m not so sure of. You see, not all werewolves go out and live their normal lives. Sometimes we…sometimes they just stay wolves, out there in the forest. And you can always tell another werewolf, even when they’re in human form. So when he sensed me out there,” Demo paused. “It…was somethin’ tae do with territory? He wanted me out and he wanted me tae pay for comin’ into his land.”

Soldier grunted. That seemed to make some sort of sense. The wolf’s laugh echoed through his brain and he wondered what living feral for years did to a human’s mind.

“Why didn’t you change back when it left?”

“Couldn’t.” Demo replied. “It’s hard enough changin’ when it’s not a full moon. Changin’ back is even worse, and you got tae wait for sunlight no matter what.”

“Why did you tell me to trust you?”

Demo’s face shifted to bewilderment. “What?” The easy questions had come to a close.

“Why did you tell me to trust you?” Soldier repeated. “You told me to go back to camp and that you’d tell me everything later. And I did.” His hands gripped the steering wheel so tight his knuckles turned white. “What exactly were you going to tell me?”

Demo swallowed. “I dunno. I thought I could come up with somethin’ before then.”

Soldier laughed, hurt evident everywhere in his voice. “‘Come up with something?’ Well that’s great. Great to know this was just another in a long plan of lies you had laid out for me. So tell me this: if you never planned on telling me anything at all, why the _fuck_ should I trust you?”

“Janey I-” Demoman started.

“Do not ‘Janey” me!” Soldier shouted. “Did you think I would care? I don’t! You’re a fucking RED for Christ’s sake, but I fucking look past it. The only thing I care about is that you sent me sit in the corner while you had your macho wolf fight and told me to _trust_ you! Well you know what? I did. I trusted that you could handle it and you fucking couldn’t and you almost-”

His eyes were fixed ahead at the remote road before them. He tried to press his face back into something stern, something unmoved. He couldn’t start to cry. He had already done too much of that today.

“You dunnae care, eh? You hardly seemed very welcoming last night. ‘Lick me own ass and roll in shit’ ring any bells?” Demo gave a smile, like he was hoping the joke would lighten Soldier’s mood.

“I thought you were dead.” The smile dropped instantly. There was nothing but pain in Soldier’s voice. “I thought about how I would have to be the one to tell your mother. I thought about how you could die in this forest and suddenly two years of immortality didn’t mean a goddamn thing. If you were dead I would never…I wouldn’t be able to…”

Soldier found he couldn’t go on any more. He felt like everything had drained out of him, like this whole terrible night had burned out his anger and just left him hollow.

There were several minutes of silence. He didn’t want to look at his passenger, so instead he glared at the road like it was the only thing in the universe.

When the Demoman finally spoke, his voice seemed unnaturally quiet. “I didn’t want you tae know I was a freak.”

Soldier tensed, but still didn’t look at him.

“When we were first startin’ out,” he continued, “when we still weren’t sure if we were friends or more than friends or _what_ , it all seemed so…delicate. Like everythin’ had tae go right for us tae figure things out. After we knew what we were I wanted to tell you, I did I just…We worked so hard to get here I didn’t want you tae realize you’d made a mistake. I didn’t want you tae know I’m a monster.”

On his last words, he looked at his hands, shame written on his face.

Is that how he saw himself? A monster?

“Tav,” the Soldier said, his voice uncharacteristically tender. “I could never think that about you.”

Demo looked up at the driver, his eye still filled with guilt.

“You mean the world to me,” Soldier continued. “You are the most extraordinary man I have ever met. And I didn’t make a mistake when I chose you.”

It was the closest thing to “I love you” Soldier had ever said. Demo looked at him with awe, and perhaps a bit of longing too.

“I’m sorry,” Demo said finally. “For everything.”

Soldier took one hand off the steering wheel and extended it toward the battered Demoman. It was a gesture that represented both forgiveness and acceptance, and other things besides. When Demo clasped his hand in Soldier’s, it reminded them that the lake was already miles away, and they were headed home. Together.


End file.
